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“If there’s no law stating that Ihaveto wear something that I find humiliating and disgraceful, then what’s to say I have to wear it at all? Why not start our own traditions? Why not start new trends?”
He inhaled and pondered her words.
Sensing she’d found the weak link in his argument, Louella persisted: “Or are you not strong enough to buck tradition and do what’s right forus?”
Yas’kihn knew a challenge when he heard one. Unfortunately, heneverbacked away from a challenge. His crest rose to its full height as his spine straightened and his tail lashed. He looked down the length of his nose to her upturned face, her pretty golden eyes bright, and her delicate shoulders thrown back in dauntless courage. Overhead illumination gleamed softly on the fine, smooth scales of her scalp. The gleam momentarily distracted him into hoping that she never grew back that human covering of hair, no matter how soft and interesting he had found the tight curls. His people would admire the absence of hair and more readily accept the flouting of tradition from a female who appeared highborn, rather than a hybrid female.
He wrenched his mind back to the matter at hand and raised the hand clutching the fringed collar. His lips peeled back from his teeth in an expression that had made countless new recruits cower in terror, yet this soft and dainty human-Ahn’hudin hybrid returned his bared teeth with her own white smile.
Louella glanced at the collar with its long fringe dangling from Jax’s hand and clenched her jaw in defiance. His silence, however, grated at her nerves. She knew he was more than powerful enough to physically force her to wear the damned thing, although she doubted he would allow himself to be reduced to such measures. At least she hoped that was the case. Thus far, he’d shown great devotion and care for her, but could she trust his affection and lenience if she continued to defy him? She wished she could be certain that he would not coerce her into compliance and break her spirit through such abuse.
“I have an idea, a compromise, if you will,” she blurted as an idea came to her.
He locked eyes with her. “Youwillwear the dress.”
Louella ground her molars a second before taking a deep breath to control her rapidly fraying temper. “If you can find another gown like what I had on for the marriage ceremony,” she gestured at her body, “then I will wear thatthingover it.”
As the gown she’d worn—and he had so easily shredded—was practically transparent, she considered wearing it along with the collar and its dangling ribbons, a more than reasonable compromise.
“I don’t like it,” he said.
Her eyes narrowed, her brows furrowed, and her mouth pinched in fury.
“I did not say I did not agree,” he added before she could scream invectives at him. “But I do not like it.”
“Do you agree to my compromise? Because that’s all you’re going to get out of me willingly. If you force me to wear that thing by itself, I swear I’ll hate you for the rest of my life. I don’t take well to coercion or humiliation, and I will find a way to leave your scaly ass.”
Jax blinked at her bald statement, then bowed his head, something he’d not done in a century or more unless it was to the emperor or crown prince. He knew she did not recognize the significance of the gesture, nonetheless, he accorded her that respect for she was his true mate to whom he had bound his very soul.
“I will accept your compromise,” he said.
Louella exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, and her shoulders sagged with relief. She bowed her head to him and replied, “Thank you.”
Chapter15
The next day Louella found herself on the bridge of the emperor’s personal spacecraft. The small crew kept glancing at her as though expecting her to erupt in wild shenanigans or crazy behavior. She grinned, imagining herself as the Tasmanian Devil from the oldLooney Toonscartoons. Just what would they do if she morphed into something like that?
She stayed in the corner where Jax bade her remain, visible and present, but out of the way of the crew. Jax, she understood, did not want them stumbling over her while carrying out their duties. Jax stood proud and formidable—an elite commander overseeing his troops, a king surveying his knights, anemperor—as the captain, navigator, quartermaster, pilot, watch officer, and communications officer performed their jobs with utmost professionalism under his supervision. They only occasionally darted curious glances at her when they thought Yas’kihn wouldn’t observe them. He’d already clobbered one officer who dared to stare at her, sending him to the ship’s doctor with a single punch.
No one on the crew dared challenge him directly. Nor would they come near Emperor Yas’kihn mek Kuresh’Zha after one of the less disciplined crewmen muttered an untoward remark when they embarked upon the ship. His headless body was now stored in the hold for return to his family who would no doubt mourn his untimely demise as much as their loss of status.
After the ship disengaged from the port in Kaan-shar and entered orbit, Louella felt no shift in acceleration or change in direction, although looking through the view screens showed the long, thin streaks of stars as the spacecraft zoomed through not-so-empty space, dodging space junk, asteroids, a comet, and the occasional planet. She wondered how fast they were going, but didn’t have the courage to ask—at least not in front of the crew’s critical and suspicious gazes.
She glanced at Captain Ashtul whom Jax had invited aboard as an ambassador to Ahn’hudin. He met her gaze and gave her a small nod of approval. She found it reassuring and wondered if and when she would meet his mate. Not knowing the female’s name, Louella mentally assigned her the appellation “Mrs. Ashtul.” The captain had made his mate’s accompaniment a requirement for his service as ambassador to Ahn’hudin.
“Hail Ahn’hudin when we are within three parsecs,” Yas’kihn ordered. “Inform our people their new emperor arrives with his bride and an honored ambassador of Kaan.”
“Aye, Your Majesty,” the captain replied and bowed.
“Come, pretty spark,” Yas’kihn said and extended his hand, giving her a closemouthed smile when she placed her palm in his. “It is past time you dined.” He looked at Captain Ashtul. “Please join us, Captain. Your mate is welcome as well.”
The Kaanian warrior bowed and replied, “We are honored, Your Majesty.”
The three of them left the bridge. Yas’kihn and Louella soon arrived in the emperor’s private dining hall where a crewman hastily set already prepared food on the table. The crewman drew close to Louella to pull out a chair, but a low growl from the emperor sent him scurrying backward. Louella gave the male an apologetic smile, as though she could excuse her mate’s surly behavior.
“On my lap, Louella,” he ordered as he sat, carefully adjusting his tail so it would not be cramped or otherwise in the way.
Louella felt heat rise to her cheeks as she obeyed his order.At least I’m not naked and he’s not going to fuck me at the table in front of everyone. She gave thanks for the small mercy of that embarrassment spared. Relaxing against him as she had already grown accustomed to doing, she felt his chest vibrate and could almost hear the words rumble from his throat.
